Minister: I struggle to see Trump’s worth, dignity
Donald Trump’s racist ranting is contrary to the values upon which the United States was founded.
To suggest that people from a certain religion should be barred from entering our country is inane and exposes the ignorance and hatred that is the hallmark of Trump’s campaign. Freedom of religion is as American as baseball and apple pie.
Political visionaries such as Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin (who I am proud to say were free-thinking Unitarians who shunned the notion that one way of religious thinking was superior to another) embedded religious freedom into the fabric of this nation. They understood that a specific religious belief should not be a litmus test for entrance into the American dream.
My Unitarian Universalist faith affirms the inherent worth and dignity of every person. It doesn’t create a boundary that excludes Muslims. But I confess that these days I am struggling to see the inherent worth and dignity of Donald Trump.
He is the most frightening political phenomenon I’ve encountered in my lifetime. He is using ethnicity and religion to sow the seeds of fear and division. This country deserves better.
Rev. Tim Kutzmark, Minister, Unitarian Universalist Church of Fresno
This story was originally published December 10, 2015 at 7:02 AM with the headline "Minister: I struggle to see Trump’s worth, dignity."